in my little corner of the world, 2012 was a big year. we grew, achieved, took risks, succeeded. before i start making resolutions again, i want to pause in this moment to celebrate a few of my close friends. i’ve asked them to share 3 things they learned this year – some are personal, some are professional, all are inspirational. we always have something to learn from others, and sometimes you don’t have to look very far.
i figured since this is my blog i should probably share my 3 things. they are a mix of personal and professional (kind of like this blog, i guess?!). 2012 has been one for the books that’s for sure. 2010 was kind of a doozy, 2011 was pretty good, 2012 was wonderful. i had a great year and am very grateful for all the experiences and opportunities it brought. endless thanks to those who read this little blog.
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My Year in Review
1. Take a risk, you’ll be surprised who you find on the other side. “Take more risks” was my resolution for 2012. There is also “patience and tact,” but I’ve been rolling that one over since 2007. I started a blog, moved to a different country, quit my job to go “pro.” I have been rewarded and empowered by the risks I’ve taken this year and feel more passionate about making music than I ever have before. I listened to myself and decided to go for it.
2. I am in currently in the “residency” of my career, training for my dream job. My best friend Claire floated this idea to me right after I moved abroad. I was doubting my decision to do music full-time, looking at job sites, working on my resume when she told me that I have to train to get the job I want. I have to put in the gruelling hours in all areas of my career before I have the credentials and experience to choose which aspects I want. I have thrown myself back into theory, writing exercises, practicing my instruments and constantly seeking inspiration in order to write the best songs I possibly can. This quote summed it up for me: “{The professional} knows that by toiling beside the front door of technique, he leaves room for genius to enter by the back” (Steven Pressfield, The Art of War, p. 84). My residency has been hard (and it will be for the next 5-7 years) but I’m excited to go to work every day.
3. I am the only thing standing in my way. If I am seeking change in my marriage, my career, my diet, my anything – I have the tools to do that, and it is my responsibility to take on that burden. I have to be present with myself – “awake to my feelings and thoughts,” to paraphrase Gay & Kate Hendricks, to consciously love and attend to the things around me.
Honorable Mention thing I learned this year: the identity of GOSSIP GIRL!!!!
